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'Shoot' like a photojournalist:
pro photographer tells you how
by Rob Stimpson |
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| Many
trippers -- I'm one myself -- always pack a
camera when paddling. In my case, it's hardly
optional. I'm a professional outdoor photographer
and teacher. That's why VOYAGEUR asked me
for pointers on taking outdoor photos with a
professional touch. In this piece, I'll use my
photos, and some background on what went into
them, to illustrate a first basic lesson --
make your pictures tell a story. |
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| Tidal Flats,
Prince Edward Island |
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Pick up a
magazine and look at the photos editors pick for cover
shots, or to illustrate stories What do you see?
Generally, a picture that tells a story -- visually. The
cover conveys what sort of magazine it is; the inside
photos depict what each article is about. Plan your
photos to capture the sort of trip you're going on and to
record its happenings. Think of yourself as a
photojournalist. Assign yourself a topic and consider the
photos you need to take to tell your story in pictures.
Think ahead as to when opportunities might present
themselves to get these pictures and be prepared.
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| Train
yourself, as you grab your camera, to answer two
questions before you shoot: why am I taking this
photo?; what am I trying to say? Too often,
people just 'take' a picture. Take your time;
think and look before you shoot. While good
'compositions' sometimes evolve spontaneously,
for the most part you have to anticipate and help
create them. With the photos shown here,
I've suggested the 'story' each was taken to
convey -- and some technical facts. I hope this
information is useful to your own tripping and
wilderness photography.
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| .Portage along
Barron River, Algonquin Park, Ontario |
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You know
the scene well: a canoe on your shoulders; a pack on your
back; and trekking. You also know how hard it is to
describe the experience, verbally, to non-paddlers. Try
to do it with photos. Here, during a portage, I aim for
an unusual perspective to communicate the experience. I
take the photo while carrying the canoe. And I plan it
all ahead. First, I decide what lens to use. To see as
much boat as possible, a 28-mm wide-angle lens is my
choice. Next, I metre the scene before I start the
portage. This allows me to set my shutter speed and
aperture -- before I put the boat on my shoulders. To add
some human interest, I get a fellow canoeist, my brother,
to walk in front of me. The tricky part is making sure
the canoe is balanced enough so the camera lens can
capture the front half of the boat. (If portaging a
17-foot Old Town Tripper, you'll need a little help from
your mates). Then I stop; bring the camera up; compose
the shot; press the shutter -- and finish the portage.
You can set this shot up on a few trips, especially on
really interesting portages. You'll get many good
conversation pieces! |
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| Sunset
shots are the most popular of all photographs.
People love bright colours, be they those of
autumn or a radiant sunset. If there's a camera
handy, you can bet pictures will be taken. Again,
planning ahead is called for. Aiming the camera
at 'all that colour' and pressing the shutter is
not the way to go! For starters, let's add some
interest. Here, the campsite is ringed with
jackpine. Instead of walking out to a clear area
and taking the shot, I look for a vantage point
that captures the tree-ringed charm of the
campsite. |
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| Sunset in
Wabakimi, Ontario |
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I metre
the sky, about 10 degrees off the horizon -- not the
brightest or the darkest -- and shoot a few images. Using
Fuji Velvia, a film with an ISO of 50, and a shutter
speed of approximately 4 seconds, I make sure my camera
is on a tripod. |
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| Hiking
the Prince Edward Island coast at low tide --
what a way to discover the sea! Tidal pools and
sea creatures.... I want to capture sand textures
and the extent of the low tide. Here is where the
use of 'lines' comes in. We see
three-dimensionally but a picture has only two
dimensions, height and width. To create the
illusion of depth in images, I need to introduce
lines. How do I do this? I look for the natural
lines in my composition. Here, the sand and
coastline provide the lines. The eye follows the
sand and coastline out to the open water. I
choose my wide-angle lens here, metre the scene
and take the photo. The Big
Salmon is a wonderful river for all levels of
paddlers. You won't find huge rapids but you will
find a remote wilderness with stunning scenery.
Here, the river cuts it way through the mountains
meeting up with the historic Yukon River.
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Big Salmon
River, Yukon |
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The day
this photo was taken, we had camped for the night on a
sand bar. The canoe was catching the later afternoon
light with the river in the background. The clouds, big
and puffy, floated majestically overhead. The procedure
is the same. I take the picture in my mind so as to
mentally set up the composition. I select the lens that
best suits my intention. I use a wide-angle lens and a
vertical format, which takes in the whole landscape. This
shot should gives the viewer a sense of place. I position
myself behind the scene, metre the scene and take the
photograph |
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Rob Stimpson is a professional
photographer, photography instructor and outdoor guide.
He and his wife Laurie own and operate Windsong
Adventures. Contact Rob Stimpson, Northshore
Graphics by phone at 905 826 7408 or e-mail: canoenorth@sympatico.ca Article courtesy Voyageur
Magazine
E-mail: allans3@idirect.com
Tel: (416) 693-5676
Fax: (416) 694-6242
Internet: http://www.voymag.com
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